Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne: It's up to the voters

PHOENIX -- Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne said Thursday it's now up to the voters to repeal President Barack Obama's healthcare law.

Horne's statements echoed those of other Republicans throughout the country who are upset with the Supreme Court's decision to uphold the law that overhauled the nation's healthcare system.
(Read Horne's official statement)

"Now those who oppose Obamacare have an election coming up in which they can express their view that's the way a representative republic is supposed to work," Horne said shortly after the court issued its ruling.

Horne has been an outspoken critic of the bill and campaigned hard against it in on his way to winning the AG's office two years ago. And as the state's top law man he threw the full weight of his office behind the legal fight to kill what the president's opponents commonly refer to as, Obamacare.

Arizona was one of 26 states that sued the federal government over the law. Although Horne said he was surprised with the court's ruling, he tried putting a positive spin on what was a loss by saying the court didn't reject all of the state's arguments.

Other Republicans throughout the country like Horne were saying it was time to repeal the healthcare law at the ballot box. One of those Republicans was the party's presumptive nominee for president, Mitt Romney.

In a speech that was broadcast nationally, Romney said, "what the court did not do on its last day in session, I will do on my first day if elected President of the United States and that is I will repeal Obamacare."

Anger toward the healthcare bill helped Republicans win elections take control on the House in 2010. And it was a big reason political newcomers toppled incumbent Democrats across the country and in Arizona.

Horne's official statement
"The Supreme Court has upheld Obamacare on the basis of the taxing power. This is interesting because when the bill was passed, the Democrats insisted it was not a tax as that would have been unpopular. The Court did hold, as we had argued, that the mandate exceeded the limits of the commerce power.

"Those who oppose Obamacare have an election in a few months in which they can express their view.

"Finally, and most interestingly, by a vote of 7 to 2, the court for the first time in history put a limit on Congress’ power to micromanage the states using conditions on federal funding. They did this in restricting the Medicaid expansion mandate.

"This has been the principal method by which Congress has interfered in states’ business to the extent never contemplated by the Constitution. This will be an important legal development."